The present invention relates to a storage device, a storage or test system and a method of mounting a storage device or electronic device.
Data storage systems are known. Typically a data storage system comprises plural storage media such as hard disk drives (HDDs) arranged within a drawer or blade based system. In a high density drawer based server storage enclosure, such as the OneStor™ AP-2584 system or other such systems provided by the present assignee, plural drives are arranged in a drawer, each coupled to a midplane. At the back of the drawer, i.e. on the reverse side of the midplane, control units are provided. The drawer may be arranged to receive one or more controllers, input/output units and power supplies at the back coupled via the midplane to the plural disk drives.
As required data capacities increase there is a need and desire to increase the density and/or number of disk drives within a drawer or disk array enclosure based storage system. This is achievable by careful use and organisation of disk drives within each drawer or system so as to achieve a maximum or optimal packing density.
A problem that is encountered in storage systems such as these, particularly where the density of disk drives is being maximised is the transmission of vibrations from one disk drive to another and/or to the storage system at large and the transmission of vibrations to one disk drive from another and/or from the storage system at large. In particular as disk drives rotate and the read/write head within the disk drive moves to enable writing to or reading from the disk drive platter, vibrations are generated. The simple spinning motion of the disk within the disk drive housing as well as the movement of the actuator for the read/write head arm can be a significant source of vibrations. The transfer of vibration between individual disk drives is undesirable and so some means for vibrationally isolating, or at least reducing vibrational coupling, is desired.
This is also a problem in disk drive or storage media test systems, used to test storage media or disk drives during manufacture. In fact, during testing it can be even more important to be able to vibrationally isolate a storage medium or disk drive.
The damping of vibration from and to spinning drives has been explored by Xyratex for many years and given rise to a number of innovations. The most recent of these is the use of a vibration damping material developed by 3M known as EAR, described in more detail below. This material has been shown to be very effective at damping vibrational energy and thus is expected to prevent or reduce vibrational energy transfer between the drive and its carrier (and subsequently the system with which the carrier is in mechanical contact).
However, although this may help, the most critical conduit of vibrational energy from the drive to the system to which the drive is connected and vice versa is through the electrical power and signal contacts and connector. Typically in modern data storage systems this would be a standard SAS/SATA type connector.
As of yet no solutions exist to provide complete mechanical isolation of the drive from the system to which it is connected, through the power and signal connections.
US-A-2006/0072241 discloses a sealed Hard Disk Drive filled with an inert gas mixture of air, helium, and/or nitrogen provides a wireless data encrypted interface to facilitate data and control transfer with a host system. The wireless interface additionally allows power transfer through Radio Frequency (RF) propagation or electromagnetic induction. Extended measures for vibration, shock, and temperature control are made possible through the use of the wireless interface. The teaching of the document relates to means by which HDDs, as they become used widely in mobile devices, can be housed in such a way as to provide physical safety to the device whilst enabling data and power transfer to and from the device.
Wireless data communication in general and in HDDs in particular is known. One example of its use in HDDs is TW-A-1,253,018 (Guan-Yu).
US-A-2007/273486 is another example of such a disclosure. This discloses a passive contactless information storage device capable of transmitting and receiving signals. A fixed-station information processing device is provided having an information processing unit, and a wireless transmitter for transmitting, in a contactless manner, a command signal for requesting transmission of information stored in the information storage device and supplying power in a contactless manner to the information storage device. A mobile-station information processing device is provided having an information processing unit, an information presenting unit, a battery, and a wireless receiver for receiving a response signal for response to the command signal, from the information storage device in a contactless manner. While the fixed-station device is supplying power to the information storage device in the contactless manner, the information storage device transmits, in response to the command signal, the response signal to the mobile-station device in the contactless manner.
US-A-2007/032890 discloses a system by which unwanted resonant dynamics can be suppressed within the arm of a HDD.
US-A-2008/0079396 discloses means by which the charging of a battery in a power storage device which includes the battery may be simplified. A wireless power storage device is provided which can transmit and receive information without the task of replacing a battery for drive power supply, which becomes necessary when the battery depletes over time, being performed. An antenna circuit, a battery which is electrically connected to the antenna circuit via a rectifier circuit, and a load portion which is electrically connected to the battery are provided. The battery is charged when an electromagnetic wave received by the antenna circuit is input to the battery via the rectifier circuit, and discharged when electrical power which has been charged is supplied to the load portion. The battery is charged cumulatively, and the battery is discharged in pulses.